This is one of the most amazing horses I have ever seen. I hate bullfighting, but wow, what a display of skill this horse has! I get goosebumps at 54 seconds and they just don't go away. Wow. http://leerburg.com/merlin.htm

"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

With the high level cutting horses, the rider just sits there and the horse does his job. I would hazard a guess that this horse knows his job and does it with out tons of cues from the rider. I looked for him to be working the bit, but I couldn't find many times when he didn't seem to be controlling himself. Yes there was neck reigning, but not much else. If he was being "forced" to stay that close to the bull I think there would be a lot more tension in his body language.

It's like a (very dangerous) game of keep away.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

The horse probably enjoys his job, what I mean is that this skill showing could be done in a less bull-spearing way. But cues or no cues, he's still saving his ass (not in a running away sort of way) from the bull, there is probably a bit of fear in there.

Horses do not naturally hang around something who wants to do a shish kebab with them. Then again, they also don't naturally jump 6 feet high with somenone on their back, or run in figure 8's around barrels at high speeds.

call2arms wrote:Horses do not naturally hang around something who wants to do a shish kebab with them. Then again, they also don't naturally jump 6 feet high with somenone on their back, or run in figure 8's around barrels at high speeds.

Ditto. Horse's are prey animals, their only instinct is flight. They may not naturally jump 6 feet in the air over hurdles with someone on their back, but riding a horse that has been correctly trained and using proper methods to teach them to do things like jumping, is very fair. If a horse didn't want to jump, it would stop.

This is putting a horse in danger and to me, borders on inhumane. The same reason why I don't like those "cowboy rides" where they all gallop down a practically 90 degree mountain...